PCSK9 Inhibitors Show Benefits with Challenges to Overcome

NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Adam Hochron

Since they were first approved for patient care more than a year ago PCSK9 inhibitors have shown to be a powerful tool in the fight against dangerously high cholesterol levels. However, there are still challenges standing in the way of them being made more widely available.

In addition to the challenge of patients not wanting the new treatments to be injected, Frank W. Sellke, MD, from Brown University said cost looks to be the major hurdle to overcome in the initial stages. Speaking at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association in New Orleans, Sellke said the medical community and society overall will need to find ways to address the cost issue in order to make it available to the patients who can benefit from the treatment.